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===Olympic Movement===
During most of the 20th century, a host nation for Olympic Games had the right to arrange demonstration games for almost any sport of its own choosing. In 1952, the Winter Olympic Games were arranged in Oslo, Norway, and the Norwegians presented bandy as a demonstration sport. The tournament of [[bandy at the 1952 Winter Olympics]] was played by three countries, Norway, Finland and Sweden. This is the only time bandy has been played at Olympic Games.

Bandy was officially recognized by the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC) under the [[Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations]] (ARISF) in 2004, and was [[Bandy at the 1952 Winter Olympics|played]] as a [[demonstration sport]] at the [[1952 Winter Olympics]] in [[Oslo]]. However, it has yet to officially be played at the [[Winter Olympics|Olympics]].

According to the [[Federation of International Bandy|FIB]], bandy is the world's second-most participated winter sport after [[ice hockey]] based on the number of participating athletes.<ref name="worldbandy.com"/><ref name=FIBOct16/><ref name="Bandyportföljen' pp. 12-13"/> It is unclear how many of the players participate in the male category and how many in the female category. The FIB has also recorded bandy (men's) as having ranked as the number two winter sport in terms of tickets sold per day of competitions at the sport's world championship.<ref name=FIBOct16/>

However, compared with the seven [[Winter Olympic sports]], bandy's popularity among other winter sports across the globe is considered by the [[International Olympic Committee]] to have a, "gap between popularity and participation and global audiences", which is a roadblock to future Olympic inclusion.<ref name=bid>{{cite web|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1061027/new-sports-face-struggle-to-be-added-to-winter-olympic-games-programme-ioc-warn|title=New sports face struggle to be added to Winter Olympic Games programme, IOC warn|last=Butler|first=Nick|date=4 February 2018|website=Insidethegames.biz|publisher=Dunsar Media|access-date=17 June 2018}}</ref>

In addition, the [[Olympic Charter]] requires a sport to be widely practiced by men in at least 75 countries and on four continents, and by women in no fewer than 40 countries and on three continents in order to be accepted.

FIB president [[Boris Skrynnik]] lobbied for bandy to be included in the [[2014 Winter Olympics]] in Sochi, given Russia's prominence in the sport.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/sports/olympics/29bandy.html|title=It's Not Hockey, It's Bandy|date=29 January 2010|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Members of the [[Chinese Olympic Committee]] were present at the 2017 world championships to meet with Skrynnik about the possibility of considering the sport for the [[2022 Winter Olympics]] in Beijing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://tass.com/sport/929068|title=Bandy has chances to be included into 2022 Winter Olympics - FIB President|work=TASS|access-date=7 August 2017|language=EN}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bandy: How Sweden's little known sport is winning fans |url=https://www.thelocal.se/20160229/bandy-how-swedens-little-known-sport-is-winning-converts |newspaper=[[The Local]]|date=29 February 2016|access-date=25 September 2016 }}</ref> However, in 2018 it was announced no new sports would be added for 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1061156/ioc-confirm-no-new-sports-will-be-added-to-beijing-2022-programme|title=IOC confirm no new sports will be added to Beijing 2022 programme|last=Butler|first=Nick|date=7 February 2018|website=Insidethegames.biz|publisher=Dunsar Media|access-date=15 May 2018}}</ref>

====Asian Winter Games====
[[File:Bandy in Medeu Kazakhstan.JPG|thumb|The final of the [[Bandy at the 2011 Asian Winter Games|bandy tournament at Asian Winter Games]] at [[Medeu]] between [[Kazakhstan national bandy team|Kazakhstan]] and [[Mongolia national bandy team|Mongolia]]]]
At the [[Bandy at the 2011 Asian Winter Games|2011 Asian Winter Games]], open to members of the [[Olympic Council of Asia]], men's bandy was included for the first time. Three teams contested the inaugural competition, and Kazakhstan won the gold medal. The [[President of Kazakhstan]], [[Nursultan Nazarbayev]], attended the final.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bandynet.ru/v1/node/14931|title=an article in Russian at bandynet.ru through Google Translate|website=bandynet.ru|date=2011|access-date=21 February 2015|archive-date=21 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221111439/http://bandynet.ru/v1/node/14931|url-status=dead}} (dead link 2021-10-11)</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sports.ru/images/object_12.1297268592.00095.jpg|title=Image of President Nursultan Nazarbayev attending the 2011 Asian Winter Games final|website=sports.ru|access-date=5 November 2017|archive-date=13 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113053657/http://www.sports.ru/images/object_12.1297268592.00095.jpg|url-status=dead}}</ref>

There was no bandy competition at the next Games, the [[2017 Asian Winter Games]] held in Japan.